Mara followed Dervak into the dining room. She looked briefly at the display case before continuing to the second door in the west wall.
He then tries to quietly move to the western door to listen.
Theophilus looks around the kitchen.
The goblets, platters, candlesticks, and other decorations displayed in the case are valuable but not exceptionally so, maybe 100 gold. It is otherwise uninteresting.
This hallway has two more doors one to the north and one to the south, which leads to the courtyard. The blood leads to a stairway heading down, now only a few drops here and there.
Mara didn't take anything from the display case. She was focused on finding Ellery before it was too late. "Down the stairs, I guess," she told the others, healing herself with the wand another time.
The cabinet in the kitchen contains enough tools and cutlery for a couple of cooks, and enough dishes and flatware for about two dozen diners. The cauldron in the fireplace contains a greasy residue and some discarded humanoid bones. A flight of stairs leads upwards.
Theo follows Mara.
"Wait. Not much of a trail now. Do you see or hear anything?"
Dervak will stop and do an active Perception check. Searching the kitchen for secret doors, and listening for sounds coming from up the stairs.
Rowan whispers loudly:
”Are we still trying to be quiet? We could just yell out to Ellery and have him bang on something.”
Mara looked around and listened intently.
She replied to Rowan, "I don't know that he's still conscious. I think someone or something dragged him, which means that there's more enemies around!"
The party heads down the stairs with Mara’s mace lighting the way. The walls of this cool and surprisingly dry subterranean room are lined with sturdy shelves laden with chopped wood. A couple of axes sit propped in the corner, and a small hatchet is driven into a stump used to split smaller logs and make kindling. There is a door to the south and to the east.
The eastern door opens and everyone sees a familiar face with his mouth stitched close with leather straps. Behind Ellery is a scared looking boy in his early teens trying not to move. The boy lets out a gasp when he sees Dervak, ”Another monster!” He turns to run.
Ellery is badly bruised everywhere and his hair, where visible, stands on end. The trail, Dervak is almost unable to follow it, but does determine it leads to both doors. As if someone had gone one direction then backtracked and went through the other.
Mara tried to reassure the boy, "Don't worry, he won't hurt you! His name is Dervak, and he's a good man!"
She signed to the figure who looked like Ellery, relieved to see him, but wary that it could be another shapeshifter. Let's see if he can sign. She greeted him,
It occurred to her that the boy could be a shapeshifter.
Theophilus smiles at the new arrivals. The gentleman bows low; tipping his grand hat.
Theophilus Carter, Hatter and newly-made investigator. Do you enjoy a fun bit of card tricks!
The Hatter suddenly produces a deck of cards. He shuffles, flips, swaps, and spins the cards as only a master dancer can.
Smile never leaving his flushed face, Theophilus bows gracefully as his cards hit the deck.
Ellery quickly brings a finger to his mouth in a "be quiet" motion before sending his hands in a flurry of motion.
He then takes a few wobbly steps to clear the doorway and put the wall at his back.
Mara replied to Ellery,
Ellery pauses a moment, tilting his head in thought then signs back
Dervak watches as Mara and Ellery do their finger-talking.
This one seems to be doing it right, judging by Mara's reaction.
He doesn't try to stop the boy from running.
"Ellery, you look worse than usual. If it really is you, we should get you fixed up. But if they captured you, why didn't they place a guard?"
Ellery raises an eyebrow at Dervak's question and pointedly looks at the boy. Then he also raises a hand holding a lockpick and shrugs.
That's better! I don't think a shapeshifter would know all that. "This is the real Ellery!", Mara told the others. "He remembers the circumstances of our meeting in the asylum."
"You look like you could use some healing," she said to Ellery, and laid her hand on his wounds.
Something in Mara's voice stops the young man, "Um are you sure? At least you're not those fish guys. I'm Holissa, can we get out of here?"
Mara asked the youth, "I'm pleased to meet you, Holissa! My name is Mara. How did you end up here? Are you being held prisoner?"
She tried to evaluate the truthfulness of his reply.
As she talked to the teenager, she healed Ellery and herself with the new wand.
Ellery smiles as Mara heals him and makes more hand signs.
Holissa replies to Mara now more at ease, "Some people in yellow came out of nowhere and hit me on the head. I woke up in the cell," he motions to the east.
Rowan signs to Ellery:
Theophilus looks around.
So, where exactly are your jailers? And was it you being dragged?
Mara spoke to Holissa, "Ellery, the mute man in the mask, says that you mentioned a sister named Sholn. Is she being held here?"
Ellery raises an eyebrow at Rowan
I wasn't exactly in a state to pay attention.
Yup; it's the real Ellery!
Slapping the rogue on his back, Theo beams,
Good to have you back! Ok, which way?
Rowan says and absently signs back,
”Don’t worry, we’re going to kill that guy before we leave. Maybe one of the mages can dispel the lightning so it doesn’t hurt so much.”
The boy says, "I don't think so."
Theo reaches into a pocket. Tossing a firecracker (not lit) to the boy, he smiles.
Go play. Do not put that in your shorts. Ready?
Mara told Holissa "Well, stick with me, and I'll get you out of here."
She listened at the door to the south, and said, "Let's look in here. Dervak. would you like to do the honors?"
Mara doesn't hear any threats through the door and Dervak opens the door.
The many wooden shelves in this room are stacked with wooden crates, paper-wrapped packets, and small clay jars sealed with wax. Smoked trout and other dried fish hang from metal hooks fixed to the ceiling. A number of boxes and containers have been emptied and smashed, and now lie in pieces on the floor, along with discarded fish bones and other refuse.
Through a short hallway adjoining the room is a musty cellar which contains a dozen wooden kegs, several demijohns, and dozens of empty bottles on shelves along the wall.
The northern door in the cellar is locked.
Mara cast a spell and scanned the room and the cellar for magic auras.
When they discovered that the door in the cellar was locked, she said, Ellery, I believe this is your area of expertise?"
Ellery nods and works to unlock the door.
When Ellery goes to work the mechanism he hears a soft click. A spray of liquid alchemical ice sprays outward, but Ellery easily jumps out of the way.
Satisfied that there are no additional traps and that the trap won't trigger again, Ellery tries to pick the lock. Unfortunately it doesn't yield to him.
Mara could tell that the lock was tricky. "Daddy, give Ellery your guidance," she declared, holding her human doll and saying a prayer.
Theophilus looks over the room while Ellery tries the door.
The Witch places a hand on him.
Guidance from moi.
"If he can't get it, we can try my way. But let's give him a few minutes."
A look of annoyance crosses Ellery's face as the trap barely misses him, one could imagine a few well chosen curse words escaping his lips...if they weren't sewn shut. He quickly kneels down and tries again.
Ellery takes his time, clears a bit of ice from the lock, and it clicks open.
This room is built around a water well, which opens to the sky above at the apex of the ceiling and descends into a shaft at the middle of the floor. A bucket attached to a rope sits in the well and ascends up to the ceiling. Someone could climb upwards and escape,
Casting Guidance, Theophilus peers around the well for traps. He also casts Detect Magic.
Theo's keen eye sees that the well is discolored slightly red. He sees no traps and a lingering aura of transmutation that leads down into the well.
Theo signs to the others his findings.
He looks to Derak and points down the well.
He cast Guidance on Dervak.
Hearing Theo's report of a magic aura, Mara looked down into the well.
"Why are we all finger-talking? You want me to go down there? Looking for something?"
Dervak sheathes his falchion and climbs down the rope. He'll begin feeling around in the water for any objects - and will sink down to the bottom to search if he needs to. The weight of his armor should pull him down; he'll bring the bucket into the water with him so he can use the rope to get back up.
Theo smiles at his friend.
Dervak sinks down 50ft into an aquaduct. He goes as far as he thinks he can but doesn't reach an outlet before he'd have to head back to avoid drowning. He doesn't find anything but water.
Theophilus shrugs his shoulders. He points up.